@article{gottfried_little_ansari_2024, title={Novice Teachers and Student Attendance in Early Elementary School}, ISSN={["1552-3896"]}, DOI={10.1177/08959048241231952}, abstractNote={Student absenteeism in the earliest years of elementary school has been linked to a range of negative outcomes. Though the literature has examined numerous factors that are associated with children missing school, the role of teachers—especially at the early elementary level—has not been well understood. Given that students spend the majority of their time in elementary school with one teacher in a single classroom, a large component of early elementary school is underexplored, and our understanding of absenteeism remains incomplete. In this vein, we looked into whether having novice versus more experienced teachers was linked to the frequency of student absenteeism in the earliest years of school. Using a national dataset including repeated observations of students in grades K-2, we found that novice teachers have students with fewer absences and a lower probability of being chronically absent. There were no differences in the outcomes of novice teachers as a function of child nor classroom characteristics. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.}, journal={EDUCATIONAL POLICY}, author={Gottfried, Michael and Little, Michael and Ansari, Arya}, year={2024}, month={Mar} }
 @article{little_gragson_2023, title={Nationally Representative Evidence on the Association Between Preschool and School-Based Parental Involvement in Elementary School}, ISSN={["1552-3896"]}, DOI={10.1177/08959048231167169}, abstractNote={Increasing school-based parental involvement—which has links to improved student outcomes like academic achievement—is a core area of focus in many preschool programs. Yet, little research to date has examined what the association is between attending preschool and school-based parental involvement in early elementary school. This study addresses this gap by drawing on nationally-representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 2010 to 2011 ( N = 18,174) to examine the association between preschool attendance and measures of school-based parental involvement in early elementary school. The findings reveal consistent positive associations between preschool attendance and school-based parental involvement. There is little evidence of variation in associations based on the type (e.g., private and Head Start) or location (e.g., center-based and school-based) of the preschool program.}, journal={EDUCATIONAL POLICY}, author={Little, Michael and Gragson, Austin}, year={2023}, month={Apr} }
 @article{little_gragson_2023, title={State leaders in early childhood education: Perspectives on instructional policy supports and alignment}, volume={63}, ISSN={["1873-7706"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.12.016}, abstractNote={States may regulate instructional policies—standards, curricula, assessments, and professional development—of early childhood education programs with the goal of improving student learning outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a national survey (61 respondents from 30 states) and follow-up interviews (N = 12) on how state early education leaders think about key issues related to instructional policy supports. Notable findings include broad support from state leaders for using a combination of global and content-specific curricula and for developing consistency in curricula regulations across disparate early childhood programs. State leaders also report moderate alignment among the instructional policy supports investigated. Understanding the views of these state leaders is important given the latitude the departments and agencies they represent have in shaping instructional policy of early education programs.}, journal={EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY}, author={Little, Michael and Gragson, Austin}, year={2023}, pages={288–298} }
 @article{gottfried_little_ansari_2023, title={Student-Teacher Ethnoracial Matching in the Earliest Grades: Benefits for Executive Function Skills?}, ISSN={["1556-6935"]}, DOI={10.1080/10409289.2023.2172674}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Research Findings: The purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of student-teacher ethnoracial matching in early elementary school by exploring two executive function outcomes – working memory and cognitive flexibility. Drawing on nationally-representative, longitudinal sample of kindergartners (N = 18,170) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Class of 2011, we relied on a fixed effects methodology and found student-teacher ethnoracial matching benefits on working memory skills, though not on cognitive flexibility. Observed associations for working memory are of similar size to those for academic achievement outcomes and are largest for Black and Latinx students. Policy or Practice: The benefits of student-teacher ethnoracial matching on academic outcomes—ranging from academic achievement to postsecondary attainment—are well documented. Yet, we know far less about the role of student-teacher ethnoracial matching on human development. This study helps to address this missing understanding of the importance of teacher diversity in supporting students’ outcomes.}, journal={EARLY EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT}, author={Gottfried, Michael and Little, Michael and Ansari, Arya}, year={2023}, month={Mar} }
 @article{bratsch-hines_cohen-vogel_little_lindsay_carr_2023, title={Teacher-child racial/ethnic match from prekindergarten through first grade: Understanding early exposure and outcomes}, volume={63}, ISSN={["1873-7706"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.12.004}, abstractNote={The purpose of this study was to explore whether evidence that children have significantly higher achievement and more positive relationships with their teachers when assigned to a teacher of their same race/ethnicity extended to the earliest grades. Using data from a three-year project in North Carolina, we descriptively examined teacher-child racial/ethnic match exposure in prekindergarten (PK), kindergarten (K), and first grade (G1). In exploratory inferential analyses, we further used a two-way fixed-effects (child and time) approach to associate teacher-child racial/ethnic match with academic achievement and teacher-child relationships, moderated by race/ethnicity and grade. Parents/caregivers reported their child's race/ethnicity, and of the sample of children (n = 447), 34% were identified as Black, 42% as Latinx, and 24% non-Latinx White, with 10% of children identified as more than one race/ethnicity. Black children commonly experienced a race match in PK, but this likelihood decreased over time through G1. In contrast, the likelihood that White children experienced a match increased through G1. Latinx children were unlikely to experience a match in any grade. Teacher-child racial/ethnic match was positively associated with children's English language scores, with no suggestion that this effect varied by race or grade. In addition, a positive association between match and reading scores was evident only for Latinx children and only in PK, but not K or G1. Match was not significantly associated with math scores or teacher-reported relationships with children.}, journal={EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY}, author={Bratsch-Hines, Mary and Cohen-Vogel, Lora and Little, Michael and Lindsay, Constance A. and Carr, Robert}, year={2023}, pages={145–155} }
 @article{little_2023, title={The Alignment Agenda: Examining the Movement to Bridge the Early Childhood and K-12 Sectors}, volume={9}, ISSN={["2332-8584"]}, DOI={10.1177/23328584231211868}, abstractNote={There is a movement to improve alignment between the early childhood and K–12 education sectors, which I term The Alignment Agenda. This qualitative study provides an in-depth description of this agenda through analysis of data from interviews with 25 elites (e.g., state director of early learning) associated with the agenda and associated documents. The analysis focuses on (1) the problems with the status quo that necessitate alignment reform, (2) the nature of proposed alignment reforms, and (3) the challenges and facilitators of advancing the alignment reforms. Understanding how elites associated with the alignment agenda think about the movement, including key features of alignment reforms, has relevance for policy and practice because these individuals are closely—if not directly—involved in the process of policy development and implementation at the local, state, and federal levels. Further, attention to the topic of aligning the early childhood and K–12 education sectors is likely to increase in coming years as proposals for expansion of the early childhood education sector are adopted and implemented.}, journal={AERA OPEN}, author={Little, Michael}, year={2023} }
 @article{drake_little_cohen-vogel_gragson_cadilla_2023, title={What Shapes Principals' Early Education Leadership Practices? A Mixed-Methods Study of North Carolina School Leaders}, volume={11}, ISSN={["1744-5043"]}, DOI={10.1080/15700763.2023.2277270}, abstractNote={Principals can play an important role in the effectiveness of early education programs and early grade levels in their school. The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship between principals’ backgrounds and their self-assessed early education leadership practices. Using a mixed-methods approach that draws on surveys and interviews from school leaders in North Carolina, we found that principals often lacked experience or training in early education. We also identified factors (e.g., training in early education) that predicted higher self-assessed early education leadership practices. We conclude by discussing the implication of these findings for research, policy, and practice.}, journal={LEADERSHIP AND POLICY IN SCHOOLS}, author={Drake, Timothy A. and Little, Michael and Cohen-Vogel, Lora and Gragson, Austin and Cadilla, Victor}, year={2023}, month={Nov} }
 @article{griffard_sadler_little_-vogel_2022, title={Governing early learning among the American states}, volume={143}, ISSN={["1873-7765"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106625}, abstractNote={Researchers have posited that possible explanations that contribute to the variability in Pre-K program quality and subsequent mixed results in terms of student outcomes include, among others, an uncoordinated Pre-K delivery system and misalignment between the Pre-K and K-12 sectors. This study investigates one mechanism by which states attempt to resolve challenges resulting from mixed delivery and vertical misalignment: their governance structures, as identified by Kagan’s (2015) as one mechanism in the systems-focused model for the provision of high-quality early education. By collecting and analyzing documents from all 50 states, we describe how early learning is governed across the U.S. Finding variability, we organize state governance structures into a five-category taxonomy. We then analyze the mission statement, scope, and goals of each state’s early childhood council and find only a small subset address issues related to vertical alignment. The findings take on added significance as Congress debates the American Families Plan, the Biden Administration’s initiative that would partner with states to offer free, high-quality preschool to all of the nation’s three- and four-year-olds.}, journal={CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW}, author={Griffard, Megan Rauch and Sadler, James and Little, Michael and -Vogel, Lora Cohen}, year={2022}, month={Dec} }
 @article{pentimonti_attaway_little_holod_buysse_walker_bigelow_2022, title={Impacts of a Parent-Implemented Language Intervention on Children's Language Development Within Home Visiting}, volume={35}, ISSN={["1550-5081"]}, DOI={10.1097/IYC.0000000000000224}, abstractNote={The purpose of this study was to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention for enhancing the language development of young children enrolled in home visiting programs. The participants were 59 children (18–30 months old) enrolled in one of three types of home visiting programs. Children's language skills were assessed pre- and post-intervention with the Preschool Language Scale. To estimate the impacts of the intervention on children's language scores, we conducted a two-level hierarchical linear model. Results from this model provide promising evidence for the benefits of using systematic parent-implemented language interventions.}, number={4}, journal={INFANTS & YOUNG CHILDREN}, author={Pentimonti, Jill and Attaway, Danielle Shaw and Little, Michael Harris and Holod, Aleksandra and Buysse, Virginia and Walker, Dale and Bigelow, Kathryn}, year={2022}, pages={285–302} }
 @article{cohen-vogel_sadler_little_merrill_curran_2022, title={The Adoption of Public Pre-Kindergarten among the American States: An Event History Analysis}, volume={36}, ISSN={["1552-3896"]}, DOI={10.1177/0895904820961002}, abstractNote={Over the past few decades, we have witnessed a surge in publicly funded pre-K programs in the United States. Today, policy makers in 45 states and the District of Columbia have adopted them. Combining information from twelve datasets, we use event history analysis (EHA) to examine the influence of a set of predictors on states’ decisions to adopt public pre-K. Findings indicate that party dominance in the legislature, legislative professionalism, and unemployment rates are associated with pre-K adoption; regional proximity to previously adopting states is also significant. The authors discuss implications for policy makers and advocates considering future legislative action in the early childhood education sector, including the expansion of pre-K eligibility requirements.}, number={6}, journal={EDUCATIONAL POLICY}, author={Cohen-Vogel, Lora and Sadler, James and Little, Michael H. and Merrill, Becca and Curran, F. Chris}, year={2022}, month={Sep}, pages={1407–1439} }
 @article{garber_foster_little_cohen-vogel_bratsch-hines_burchinal_2022, title={Transition Practices of Rural Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers and Their Relations to Children's Academic and Social Skills}, ISSN={["1556-6935"]}, DOI={10.1080/10409289.2022.2026191}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Research Findings: The present study examined the transition practices reported by 59 pre-kindergarten (pre-k) and 186 kindergarten teachers in the rural Southeastern United States, and asked if transition practices related to skills at the beginning and end of kindergarten for 387 children. Analyses indicated kindergarten teachers offered more transition practices than pre-k teachers, and the transition practices children received varied depending on the students served. Pre-k settings with more students from families with low incomes were more likely to hold individual meetings with parents but less likely to offer classroom visits and orientations. Kindergarten teachers in schools with higher proportions of ethnically and racially minoritized students were more likely to engage in classroom visits and sharing individual child data. Although overall we found little to no association with child outcomes, data sharing on individual children was associated with higher literacy skills at entry to kindergarten. Practice or Policy: This study raises several future directions for policy and practice related to school transitions. Although most transition practices are designed to help children feel better about moving into kindergarten, it appears that some practices, such as data sharing, may also improve school readiness skills, making them a promising focus for future policy investments.}, journal={EARLY EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT}, author={Garber, Kylie L. and Foster, Tiffany J. and Little, Michael H. and Cohen-Vogel, Lora and Bratsch-Hines, Mary and Burchinal, Margaret R.}, year={2022}, month={Jan} }
 @article{little_drake_cohen-vogel_eagle_2022, title={When School Doesn’t Start at Age 5: Elementary Principal Leadership of Pre-K Programs in Schools}, volume={123}, ISSN={["1554-8279"]}, DOI={10.1086/720563}, abstractNote={Today, about 50% of US elementary schools have a pre-kindergarten (pre-K) program located in the building. This article systematically reviews the empirical literature on principal leadership of pre-K programs in elementary schools. We collected studies using academic database searches, scanning reference lists of relevant articles, and consulting with experts in the field. Our efforts yielded 16 sources for review. Using thematic synthesis, we analyzed the data to reveal key findings related to principal leadership of pre-K programs. There has been limited scholarly attention to principal leadership in the pre-K context. Prominent themes in the existing literature on the topic include (1) a common framing of the “colliding” worlds of pre-K and K–12 education, (2) principals’ beliefs about pre-K, (3) the scope of principal responsibility for pre-K programs, and (4) principal preparation to lead pre-K programs. We unearthed limited evidence on the topic but charted a path for future research on pre-K principal leadership. Future research should focus on the design of principal capacity building efforts that have direct, positive impacts for students.}, number={1}, journal={Elementary School Journal}, author={Little, M. and Drake, T.A. and Cohen-Vogel, L. and Eagle, J.}, year={2022}, month={Sep}, pages={176–202} }
 @article{cohen-vogel_little_jang_burchinal_bratsch-hines_2021, title={A Missed Opportunity? Instructional Content Redundancy in Pre-K and Kindergarten}, volume={7}, ISSN={["2332-8584"]}, DOI={10.1177/23328584211006163}, abstractNote={Policy observers have expressed concern over whether misalignment between pre-K and K–12 has negative consequences for children. This study considers students’ exposure to redundant content across the pre-K and kindergarten years. Specifically, it asks, to what extent are skills and concepts taught in kindergarten redundant with skills and concepts taught in one state’s public pre-K program, and for whom is redundancy most likely? Overall, findings from teacher surveys show that about 37% of the language, literacy, and math content covered in kindergarten is redundant with content covered in pre-K. The highest rates of redundancy seem to occur for basic (rather than advanced) content items, including the identification of letters and sight words. Moreover, children from families who live at or below the poverty line experience significantly higher rates of redundant content. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.}, journal={AERA OPEN}, author={Cohen-Vogel, Lora and Little, Michael and Jang, Wonkyung and Burchinal, Margaret and Bratsch-Hines, Mary}, year={2021}, month={Apr} }
 @article{little_2021, title={Nationally Representative Evidence on the Association Between Preschool and Executive Function Skills Throughout Elementary School}, volume={7}, ISSN={["2332-8584"]}, DOI={10.1177/23328584211048399}, abstractNote={Executive function skills are a set of cognitive processes that help individuals to engage in goal-directed behavior and have been linked to benefits in academic achievement and other learning-related outcomes. Recently, there has been interest in understanding how attending center-based preschool may relate to the development of executive function skills. This study used the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (n ~ 9,270) to examine the association between preschool attendance and executive function skills in each grade of elementary school. The results of the analysis suggest small initial associations of preschool attendance with some subdomains of executive function (working memory) but not others (cognitive flexibility). These associations are heterogenous based on preschool type (i.e., public vs. private). The longitudinal analysis revealed rapid attenuation of initially positive associations, but also some indications of so-called “sleeper effects” emerged in late elementary school for working memory. Implications for research and policy are discussed.}, journal={AERA OPEN}, author={Little, Michael}, year={2021}, month={Sep} }
 @article{merrill_cohen-vogel_little_sadler_lee_2020, title={"Quality" assurance features in state-funded early childhood education: A policy brief}, volume={113}, ISSN={["1873-7765"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104972}, abstractNote={Most states in the U.S. now have some form of publicly funded Pre-Kindergarten. This brief asks what they have done to ensure the quality of their programs. It does so by mapping state adoption of three popular program quality assurance features: Early Learning Standards, Kindergarten Entry Assessments, and Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems. We find that all three are now widespread across the American states, despite little research on their effects. We suggest that these quality assurance features need to be subjected to rigorous evaluation tied to their effectiveness in improving student outcomes.}, journal={CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW}, author={Merrill, Becca and Cohen-Vogel, Lora and Little, Michael and Sadler, James and Lee, Kenya}, year={2020}, month={Jun} }
 @article{little_2020, title={Educators' views on the location of Pre-K programs and its relation to features of P-3 alignment: An exploratory study}, volume={118}, ISSN={["1873-7765"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105455}, abstractNote={Prekindergarten (Pre-K) programs are provided in a variety of different physical locations, including elementary school buildings, Head Start centers, and private child care centers. A recent national survey found that 50 percent of elementary schools have a Pre-K program located in them (Fuller et al., 2018). The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it explores how educators view differences between Pre-K location types. Second, it explores how different Pre-K location types may relate to features of Pre-K through third grade (P-3) alignment—specifically, examining the theory that locating Pre-K programs in elementary schools facilitates features of P-3 alignment. Educators reported significant differences between school- and center-based Pre-K locations, particularly regarding P-3 alignment. I find that locating Pre-K programs in elementary schools, alone, is insufficient to promote features of P-3 alignment; rather, it sets the conditions for local elementary schools to do so. I outline the implications of these findings for policy, practice, and future research.}, journal={CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW}, author={Little, Michael}, year={2020}, month={Nov} }
 @article{little_cohen-vogel_sadler_merrill_2020, title={Moving Kindergarten Entry Assessments from Policy to Practice Evidence from North Carolina}, volume={31}, ISSN={["1556-6935"]}, DOI={10.1080/10409289.2020.1724600}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Research Findings Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs) – assessment tools used at the beginning of kindergarten to provide educators with a snapshot of children’s readiness for school – are increasingly being adopted by states across the country. The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of North Carolina’s KEA through analysis of data from an exploratory qualitative study during the initial years of implementation (2015-2018). We conducted interviews with state- and county-level administrators as well as kindergarten teachers. Our findings focus on the intervention itself, the process of data use, the organization and political context surrounding implementation, and potential outcomes of the KEA. Policy and Practice: Implications for policy and practice are identified, including the need to design KEAs to cover a holistic range of domains, for professional development to focus on use of data in addition to collection of data, and for KEA implementation to embed principles of continuous improvement.}, number={5}, journal={EARLY EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT}, author={Little, Michael and Cohen-Vogel, Lora and Sadler, James and Merrill, Becca}, year={2020}, month={Jul}, pages={796–815} }